10-Week-old Fussy While Eating

Updated on October 04, 2006
E.P. asks from Dover, PA
13 answers

Hi Ladies,
Feeding has become the least favorite time of my day. My 10-week-old exclusively formula fed son has recently started pushing away the bottle with his hands and tounge or kicking his body back when eating. It is a struggle to get him to eat. Prior to this week, he had no problems eating, and nothing has changed...not bottles, nipples, or formula. Any advice?

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So What Happened?

Hello! Thanks so much for the advice. We ended up taking him to the pediatrician, who recommended trying a soy formula. We are going to give that a fair try (5 days or so) to see if that does the trick. He did not feel that the nipple flow or illness was the cause of our son's fussiness. If the soy formula doesn't go well, we are going to try Zantac for reflux. Thanks again for all of the help! It is much appreciated.

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T.H.

answers from Philadelphia on

Maybe something needs to change perhaps the milk isn't coming out of the nipple fast enough or too fast. try changing the nipple to allow for either more milk faster or less milk slower.

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H.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I'd give the pediatrician a call and see what they think. He's so young and feeding should be an enjoyable time of day. Perhaps he's developed an allergy to the formula or his system his going through a spurt and he's experiencing some gas or something. It's best to get anything related to food checked out with the doc when they are so little.

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A.G.

answers from Scranton on

Is it possible your son has a cold? Even just a little one? When babies noses are clogged they resort to their mouths to breathe. And when their feeding they can't breath therefore don't want to eat and tend to push the bottle away. Eighter way I encourage you to contact his pediatrician and perhaps bring him in for a check up. 10 weeks old is so young. At least then you can get him weighed and be sure he is gaining weight all right. If he checks out ok and is gaining weight then at least it should help put your mind at ease. If you think he does have a cold or similiar symptoms feel free to eighter write again or send me a message maybe you can get some advice from your friends on here on that. I myself am a pediatric nurse but more importantly a mom! And I know firsthand how scary and frustrating it could be in those first few months. Good Luck and hang in there!

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A.M.

answers from York on

I would question whether or not he was really hungry or not. If you don't have him on a schedule, I'd recommend reading "Baby Wise" as a guideline for feeding. If truly hungry, a baby will eat. If he is hungry and continues acting that way, I'd look into the issue of gas or constipation. I used mylicon drops in each formula bottle... it seemed to help with my boys. Good luck & hope this helps!

T.E.

answers from Reading on

My sister had a similar problem with her baby a few months ago. Turns out he developed an allergy to regular milk based formula and needed to be put on soy formula. Once she did that she felt like she was feeding a totally different baby. HE LOVES EATING!!!

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M.W.

answers from Philadelphia on

We had a similar situation with my son. He was also formula fed and had difficulty feeding. He would start eating and then start crying and wiggling around. He seemed hungry, but so uncomfortable. It got to the point that I didn't like to feed him in front of anyone. I took him to the dr and they tried many different formulas - none seemed to help. Finally, he was given an upper GI and we found out he had an inflamed duodenum - the section between the stomach and small intestine. He was put on liquid Zantac and within a few days he was feeding normally again. I don't know if this is unusual or not, but it might be worth looking into. Hope this info helps - good luck!

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L.R.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I had problems with my daughter eating when she was young also. Babies can develop colic at anytime escpecially in the first part of their life. Also are you using a milk based formula? He may have developed an allergy to milk which can cause horrible stomach aches. Maybe talk to your doctor about switching to a soy formula and also their are some massage excersizes for babies when they have colic that really help, I used them on my daughter when she was young and it helped alot. I remember one of them was doing the bicycle with there legs and taking lotion and rubbing with down motion from their neck down to there toes to help push any bubbles down. I hope this might help you. Hang in there I know how trying it can be. L.

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S.K.

answers from Harrisburg on

How often do you feed him?

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S.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

In addition to all the good info already given, I would add that you can make sure he has been burped before the feed begins and everytime he starts to react this way, try to burp him. He must be calm in order to burp, so if he is not calm then start dancing around the room and talking or singing to distract him. Sounds crazy, but I am a professional and this comes up a lot. I hope you find the answer.

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J.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

When my son was younger, he would do this because apparantly the flow of milk wasn't right. He was on the slow flow nipples and when we switched to medium flow it actually worked (I was desperate to figure out what was wrong and was trying anything). He did this again when it was time to switch from medium flow to fast. I guess he was just getting tired of having to suck so hard and not getting as much as he wanted out of it. Not sure if that'll help for your little guy, but thought it couldn't hurt to give it a try...

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C.J.

answers from Harrisburg on

Ok....A few q's. How is his stool? How many ounces is he getting and how far apart?Did you breastfeed before?I am thinking he is a tad backed up....He could be a lil colicky, and gasy....I would call the ped, and have him in to get weighed and checked out...If he says colicky, and gasy, try(Gripe Water). Gripe water is the BEST!!!!!!!you can find it in health food stores.....

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S.O.

answers from Reading on

My daughter started to do the same thing... I pump but she also gets some formula... this was her signal to us that she was full or just needed a break because she needed to burp... when she wanted more she let us know... she is now 4 months and still does the same thing... but now she holds our fingers and pushes or pulls when she is done or wanting more... but I didn't get it at first either... but good luck =)

S.

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K.J.

answers from Reading on

You're getting a lot of different advice here, but I would really consider a non milk-based formula. 8-10 weeks is just about the time they start exhibiting signs of a dairy intollerance. Of course have him checked out by your ped first, but if they're like a lot of doctors they may want to try Zantac or something first before trying to alter the diet. I went through this wiht my son and was breastfeeding. It took a lot to get all the dairy out of my diet but was well worth it. A different formula may do wonders. Keep in mind too that many babies with a dairy intollerance also can't tollerate soy. You may then have to try one of the nondairy, non soy formulas that cost a fortune!! I sure hope not! Good luck.
K.

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